Activities across Iranian cities commemorate the victims of the 2022 nationwide protests while calling for an end to executions and supporting political prisoners
Resistance Units of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) carried out a new series of activities across several Iranian cities on September 15, commemorating the victims of the 2022 nationwide protests and reaffirming opposition to executions and the repression of political prisoners.
The reported activities included 30 revolutionary practices featuring graphic displays, posters, audio messages, photo actions, stickers, and graffiti. Many of the actions honored the memory of those killed during the 2022 uprising, described by the Resistance Units as the “750 martyrs of the 2022 uprising.”
The activities also coincided with the latest nationwide actions associated with the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, which has become a recurring protest against executions and death sentences imposed on political prisoners.
Remembering the Victims of the 2022 Uprising
The activities were reported in Tehran, Karaj, Rasht, Tabriz, Mashhad, Ahvaz, Islamshahr, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, Varamin, Najafabad, Lahijan, and Malayer.
In Karaj, Resistance Units held a memorial for Mehdi Khanaki, a young law graduate who was executed in July following his arrest in connection with the protests. His photograph and a song were displayed during the memorial, alongside a message pledging to continue the struggle against the ruling system.
Other activities in Karaj focused on prisoners whose bodies have reportedly not been returned to their families. Photo actions demanded answers concerning the whereabouts of the bodies of executed prisoners Vahid Bani-Amiryian, Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hosseini, and Babak Alipour.
The actions connected the memory of those killed during the 2022 uprising with the ongoing campaign against executions, highlighting the continued use of the death penalty against political prisoners.
Calls to Stop Executions Across Iran
In Rasht, audio messages were circulated in support of political prisoners facing execution and calling for the immediate cancellation of the death sentences issued against Arghavan Fallahi, Farshad Etemadifar, Zahra Tabari, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Thani, and Issa Chari.
Posters were also installed demanding the cancellation of death sentences against Manouchehr Fallah and Zahra Tabari.
In Tehran, another audio message called for continued resistance and support for political prisoners. Two photo actions specifically opposed the execution of Arghavan Fallahi. Posters installed in different parts of the capital called for the bodies of executed prisoners whose graves remain unknown to be identified and returned to their families.
In Tabriz, photo actions featured images of Ehsan Faridi and Issa Chari alongside messages opposing their execution. In Mashhad, activists called for the cancellation of the death sentence against 22-year-old student Ehsan Faridi, demanded an immediate halt to Arghavan Fallahi’s execution, and called for an end to the death sentence against boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Thani.
In Ahvaz, photo actions featured Issa Chari and Farshad Etemadifar, while another poster opposed the execution of Alireza Mardasi.
Islamshahr saw actions supporting Arghavan Fallahi and Mohammad Javad Vafaei Thani. In Isfahan, two photo actions declared opposition to the execution of political prisoners.
“No to Execution” Message Spreads to More Cities
The campaign also continued in other cities.
In Shiraz, stickers reading “No to Execution” and “We Continue” were placed on bus seats. In Yazd, a photo action carried the message, “Our response to execution is the red fire and uprising.”
In Varamin, activists demanded information about the bodies of executed prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Ali-Akbar Daneshvarkar.
In Najafabad, a photo action called for the immediate cancellation of the death sentences against Amir-Hossein Akbari and Masoud Jamei, while also demanding the cancellation of the sentences against Mansour Jamali and Manouchehr Fallah.
In Lahijan, a photo action and poster installation carried the message that no one should be executed and described execution as a crime against humanity.
A Continuing Campaign of Defiance
In Malayer, two instances of graffiti rejected dictatorship and oppression, including slogans declaring opposition to oppression regardless of whether it comes from a monarch or the current supreme leader.
Taken together, the reported activities linked remembrance of the 2022 uprising with the continuing struggle against executions and political repression. By combining memorial actions with support for prisoners facing death sentences, the Resistance Units presented the anniversary of the 2022 protests not simply as an occasion for remembrance, but as a continuing call for resistance against executions and political repression in Iran.